Pico Turquino

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Pico Turquino
PicoTurquino.jpg
Highest point
Elevation1,974 m (6,476 ft)
Prominence1,974 m (6,476 ft)
Listing
Coordinates19°59′22″N 76°50′09″W / 19.98944°N 76.83583°W / 19.98944; -76.83583Coordinates: 19°59′22″N 76°50′09″W / 19.98944°N 76.83583°W / 19.98944; -76.83583
Naming
English translationTurquino Peak
Language of nameSpanish
Geography
Pico Turquino is located in Cuba
Pico Turquino
Pico Turquino
Parent rangeSierra Maestra

Pico Turquino (Spanish pronunciation: [ˌpi.ko tuɾˈki.no]), sometimes erroneously spelled as Pico Torquino,[1] is the highest point in Cuba. It is located in the southeast part of the island, in the Sierra Maestra mountain range in the municipality of Guamá, Santiago de Cuba Province.

The name is believed to be a corruption of the phrase for "turquoise peak" (Spanish: turquesa), so-named for its apparent blue hues seen by the heights in certain views.[2] It was first mentioned (under the name "Tarquino") on a map drawn by Geert de Kremer in the late 16th century. The first detailed written account of ascent of the peak by a European was in 1860 by F.W. Ramsden.[3]

A bust of José Martí, sculpted by Jilma Madera, was placed on the peak to celebrate his centenary.

Fidel Castro and his soldiers summitted the peak in 1957 during their insurgency. According to Che Guevara, Castro's second-in-command, the mountain had an "almost mystical significance" to the revolutionaries, chiefly due to it being the highest point in Cuba.[4]

Turquino National Park is established on a 229.38 km2 (88.56 sq mi) area around the peak.[5]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Schwartz, Albert; et al. (1991). "An Elevational Transect of Lepidoptera on Pico Turquino, Cuba" (PDF). University of Puerto Rico: 134 – via Hedges Lab.
  2. ^ Cuban Foreign Ministry. "Pico Turquino, la montaña azul o el monte de los turcos" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2011-10-02. Retrieved 2007-10-18.
  3. ^ Full text of "THE ASCENT OF THE TURQUINO, THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN CUBA"
  4. ^ Ernesto Che Guevara. "Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War".
  5. ^ National Protected Areas System of Cuba (2005). "Protected Areas". Archived from the original on 2007-08-10. Retrieved 2007-10-10.

External links[]

Media related to Pico Turquino at Wikimedia Commons


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